Positive Quote for Today

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."— Maya Angelou


How to Build Self-esteem

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With permission, I have extracted this picture-quote from a X page called Meditative Mind. All rights reserved worldwide.

Back in 2011, I came across at the Kenya National Library in Nairobi a magazine that extensively discussed about self-esteem. And wow! I found the contents of the magazine so educative, so inspiring, so invigorating.

Unfortunately, I never saw that magazine again in my subsequent visits to the library. I followed up on the whereabouts of the magazine by asking some workers in the library about it but they also had no clue where it had gone. It seems some guy somewhere walked off with the educative magazine.

All the same, I have managed to learn more about self-esteem from other sources. And what have I learnt? That there are people with good self-esteem and those with low self-esteem.

People with good self-esteem enjoy learning. They respect people of other backgrounds, regardless of their sex, age, race or creed. They can see the truth more clearly and are thus less judgemental. They forge more fulfilling relationships and build happier marriages. And they don't consider others more or less important than themselves.

On the other hand, people with low self-esteem feel inadequate and may thus avoid new challenges. They may engage in people-pleasing activities, boast too much and trust others' reactions more than their own. Their self-worth goes up and down like a yo-yo depending on how others behave towards them. And they may allow others to influence them in negative ways.

Furthermore, people with low self-esteem may bully those they see weaker than themselves in an attempt to feel better. They get jealous very easily and they may do drugs and engage in illicit sex that brings unwanted pregnancies and STDs.

Living with a low self-esteem, as you can see, is very frustrating. But it doesn't have to remain that way. I've got a number of suggestions on how to build self-esteem.

First, stop making life a contest. If you compete with others, you'll feel envious and unfulfilled, for there will always be people better than you in all areas of life. So run your own race without comparing yourself with others. As poet Nancye Sims aptly put it, it's because we are different that each of us is special.

Secondly, find something to do that gives you a feeling of achievement. It could be cooking, writing, building websites or knitting clothes. Whatever it is that you find fulfilling, create some time to do it regularly because as Thomas Carylye observed, nothing builds self-esteem like accomplishment.

Thirdly, focus on your strengths instead of dwelling on your weaknesses most of the time. I suggest you make a list of your qualities and talents, then review that list often. It will help build self-esteem.

Fourthly, avoid wallowing in guilt by thinking about all the mistakes you have made. Understand that everyone makes mistakes; it's not only you. Strive to see your mistakes as learning tools, not as signs of worthlessness.

Fifthly, take care of your health. And when I talk of health, I just don't mean physical health but also mental and social health. All those three types of health are essential to your well-being. You should therefore not neglect any of them.

Sixthly, improve your mind by reading a book, listening to music or writing a story. It's the best way of improving mental health. And improving mental health builds self-esteem.

Seventhly, build a network of supportive friends. You can join a church choir or a club that does constructive activities. And in this age of the internet, you can build a supportive network by staying in touch with old friends via email and social media.

Last but not least, strive to practise gratitude often. Be thankful for all you have, especially health and friends. Also remember this is the only life you have to live; why not appreciate it?

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A Trip to Mombasa

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In the photo above are (from left) my eldest brother Joe Kagigite, me and my father. The photo was taken in April 1996 when we went on a trip to Mombasa. More about that trip in the story below.

One morning in April 1996 while I was on a school holiday, my father woke me up earlier than usual. He asked my brother Joe Kagigite and I to get prepared for a trip. I obeyed his commands without knowing where we were headed to. Well, he had informed me the previous night that we would be travelling but he didn't make the destination of the trip known to me.

My father, Joe and I left home early that morning before daybreak. We boarded a bus bound for Nairobi City. When we reached Nairobi, we did a few errands including having our shoes polished till they shone like diamonds. Afterwards, we boarded another bus.

Sooner rather than later, I saw airplanes through the bus window. Seeing planes at close range made me fizz with excitement. Before then, I had been accustomed to seeing them fly high in the sky from where they looked like small noisy toys. Never had it occurred to me that I would get a chance to see planes so close. You can therefore imagine how excited I felt on seeing the big planes through the bus window on that lovely morning in April 1996.

We alighted from the bus at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. After going through the required clearance, we were led into an aircraft scheduled to fly to Mombasa, a city in coastal Kenya. The mid-sized plane, a Fokker 50 owned by Kenya Airways, looked heavenly on the inside compared to the public service vehicles I had travelled in before. And I noted that most passengers in the plane were whites - how civilized!

My father allowed me to sit next to the window from where I observed things on the ground shrink in size as the plane ascended to the clouds. I am sure it was an exhilarating experience for me.

The plane didn't fly directly to Mombasa. It made a stop in Malindi, a town also in coastal Kenya. And on the flight from Malindi to Mombasa, I saw some rivers flow into the Indian Ocean.

We arrived in Mombasa before midday. The exact order of activities we did in the city has long since faded from my memory. All I remember is us cruising in a ferry, taking photos on the seashore and touring Fort Jesus (a historical site in the town) after which we went back to the airport to catch a flight back to Nairobi.

That day trip to Mombasa will remain etched in memory because I got to fly in an airplane and cruise in a ferry for the first time. I also visited Fort Jesus which I would later on see mentioned in the books I read. How grateful I am to my father for taking me to Mombasa when I was a kid in 1996!

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Bible Quote

"Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice! Let everyone see that you are unselfish and considerate in all you do... Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."

~Phillipians 4:4-7 (TLB)

About the Author

Name: Thuita J. Maina
Nationality: Kenyan
Lives in: Kiserian, Rift Valley, Kenya
Mission: To inspire the world to godly living, one person at a time.

Just for Laughs

There was this drunkard named Azoge who loved drinking at Josiah's Bar. On being told a certain Hon. Nanga was flying to America to be conferred a law degree so that he could be admitted to the bar, Azoge replied, "Why fly all the way to America to be admitted to the bar while you can get into Josiah's Bar any time?"



The 7 Deadly Sins

  1. Pride
  2. Envy
  3. Gluttony
  4. Lust
  5. Anger
  6. Greed
  7. Sloth

Author's Note

I am learning to treat life as a journey, not a destination. So I am striving to enjoy each moment even as I anticipate to fulfill my dreams, especially meeting my soulmate and traveling abroad. Tomorrow may never be mine.

Fun Facts

  1. The fear of having no cell-phone service, running out of battery, or losing sight of your phone is called Nomophobia, reportedly affecting 66% of people.
  2. A single Google search needs more computing power than it took to send Apollo 11 to the moon. The Apollo computer was less equipped than a modern toaster.
  3. Besides being some of the biggest names in the tech industry, HP, Apple, Google and Microsoft share another commonality. They all started in garages.
~Extracted from Codingforums.com

Health Tip

So many of us take for granted the wonderful construction of the human body and the workings of its various parts. Some of us even expect it to function efficiently with less than the minimum care and attention. Learn the much you can about your body and how the care of it can help to give you that greatest blessing of all - good health.


Wonders of the Modern World

  1. The Simplon Tunnel
  2. The Sky-scrapers of New York
  3. The Boulder Dam of Colorado
  4. The Panama Canal
  5. The Golden Gate Bridge
  6. The Taj Mahal at Agra in India
  7. The North Sea Oil Drilling Rigs

Great Example for Politicians

"My life in politics was a joy. I loved campaigns and I loved governing. I always tried to keep things moving in the right direction, to give more people a chance to live their dreams, to lift people's spirits, and to bring them together. That's the way I kept score."

~Bill Clinton

Scientific Marvels

  1. Space travel
  2. Heart surgery
  3. Fibre-optics communication
  4. Concorde
  5. Radios
  6. Computers
  7. Anesthetics

My Supreme Desire

Although I'd like to be rich and famous, my supreme desire is to be radiant: to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage and goodwill. I wish to live without hate, guilt, worry, jealousy, cynicism and envy. I wish to be honest, natural, confident, clean in mind and body - ready to say "I do not know" if it be so and to treat all men with kindness - to meet any loss, failure, criticism and rejection unabashed and unafraid.



Greatest American Presidents

  1. Abraham Lincoln
  2. George Washington
  3. Thomas Jefferson
  4. Franklin Roosevelt
  5. Theodore Roosevelt
  6. Woodrow Wilson
  7. Andrew Jackson

Making Peace With the Past

"Dwell not on your past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed."

~Eileen Caddy

Toughest Colleges to Get Into

  1. MIT
  2. Princeton
  3. Harvard
  4. Yale
  5. Stanford
  6. Brown
  7. Columbia

Why You Should Trust God

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities and pour out peace."

~Ezra Taft Benson

The 7 Greatest Scientists

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Isaac Newton
  3. Galileo Galilei
  4. Nikola Tesla
  5. Aristotle
  6. Archimedes
  7. Charles Darwin

You Matter

"Always be yourself. Never try to hide who you are. The only shame is to have shame. Always stand up for what you believe in. Always question what other people tell you. Never regret the past; it's a waste of time. There's a reason for everything. Every mistake, every moment of weakness, every terrible thing that has happened to you, grow from it. The only way you can ever get the respect of others is when you show them that you respect yourself and most importantly, do your thing and never apologize for being you."

~Unknown

The Most Industrialized Nations

  1. United States
  2. Japan
  3. Germany
  4. France
  5. United Kingdom
  6. Italy
  7. Canada

Keys to Success

"...in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance; to be great yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation; to so grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his services in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail."

~Booker T. Washington

The 7 Social Sins

  1. Politics without principle
  2. Wealth without work
  3. Pleasure without conscience
  4. Knowledge without character
  5. Commerce without morality
  6. Worship without sacrifice
  7. Science without humanity

Cherish What You Love

"Cherish your visions, cherish your ideals, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts - for out of them will grow all heavenly environment, of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."~James Allen

The World's Largest Cities

  1. London in England
  2. New York in the United States
  3. Tokyo in Japan
  4. Berlin in Germany
  5. Chicago in the United States
  6. Shanghai in China
  7. Paris in France

Benefits of Optimism

"In terms of success, optimistic people out perform their pessimistic colleagues. Research shows that they are consistently promoted higher and make more money while working fewer hours than those who think pessimistically. Optimists also contribute more significantly to social progress. It is the optimists who start and run successful companies, who win elections and carry out reforms, and who make breakthroughs in the realms of science and technology."

~Pepe Minambo

The World's Greatest Lakes

  1. Caspian Sea in the Commonwealth of Independent States, C.I.S. (formerly U.S.S.R)
  2. Lake Superior in North America
  3. Victoria Nyanza in Central Africa
  4. Aral Sea in C.I.S.
  5. Lake Huron in North America
  6. Lake Michigan in North America

Demonstrating His Love

"Take your communication for instance - the way you address others. It ought to be with loving, gracious and edifying words. Never talk people down. Never use words that hurt and demean people. Communicate excellently with others without destroying their self-image or making them feel sorry for themselves. Talk to people in a way that they never forget the excellence of your words, the love and grace of Christ that you communicated. It's how God wants us to love."

~Dr. Chris Oyakhilome

World's Longest Rivers

  1. Missouri-Mississipi (U.S.)
  2. Amazon (Brazil)
  3. Nile (Egypt)
  4. Yangtse (China)
  5. Lena (Russia)
  6. Zaire (Central Africa)
  7. Niger (West Africa)